From: Ina Smith <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2012 22:52:35 +0200
Dear all
This matter came to our attention as well when one of your researchers
approached us for funding from our OA fund to publish in one of Mr
Beall's so-called predatory journals. I was in contact with DOAJ (the
journal in question was also listed there). According to DOAJ they
have their own set of criteria to include journal titles, and our
University regard DOAJ as the most authoritative list out there.
The Bealls list unfortunately does not include real evidence. There
are more lists on predatory author-pays-publishers but they have
better evidence than Beall.
According to DOAJ it did occur previously that they had to remove all
journals from a publisher after evidence of fraud.
We have - in order to solve the request we had - started to compile
some criteria against which we measure the validity of an OA journal.
You are welcome to add/use/comment.
I. Mandatory
- The journal must have a proper web page and URL with the
following info e.g. Contact details, Editorial Team, Editorial Board,
Advisory Board, Scope and Focus, Peer Review Process (must be an
exhaustive peer review process), Publication Frequency, Open Access
Policy, Author Guidelines, About the Publisher, Previously published
issues (Archive) , Copyright policy (under the Creative Commons
Licensing policies
- International editorial board
- Valid online ISSN registered with the ISSN International
Centre (France)
- Members of CrossRef with doi’s assigned to individual articles
- Journal must have established a history of responsible
reporting (not always possible with “new” OA journals)
- The journal must contain good quality articles detailing
well performed research
II. Recommended
- Listed on DOAJ (not all OA journals are listed on DOAJ
immediately, and there might be a slight time delay)
- Publisher must be registered with OASPA
- OA Policy of publisher must be available via SHERPA/RoMEO
- Listed on Wikipedia as an academic journal
- Digital preservation policy in place
- Journal title must be listed with one of the following:
International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS)
Science Citation Index
Social Sciences Citation Index
Arts and Humanities Citation Index
- Journal impact factor assigned to the journal - Journal
Citation Reports - ISI (for impact factors)
- Journal ranking is recommended - SCImago Journal
Ranking (Scopus)
Kind regards
Ina Smith (Stellenbosch University, South Africa)
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://library.sun.ac.za
________________________________________
From: Jim O'Donnell <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2012 07:39:36 -0500
Yesterday's Chronicle of Higher Education has a long piece on 'predatory
OA journals', with a focus on the work of a Colorado librarian who
monitors the business.
Do list readers think this is a significant problem? A growing problem?
http://chronicle.com/article/Predatory-Online-Journals/131047/?key=HD10d1VhNHdJbCsyZTgRMj4EOyFoZk0hYn9JPS8pbl9cEQ%3D%3D
Extract:
The practice of charging authors to have their work published is not
inherently problematic, said Jeffrey Beall, a librarian at the
University of Colorado at Denver, who tracks open-access publishers
that operate on an author-pays model.
"There is nothing wrong with the model itself," Mr. Beall said, citing
author-pays publishers he considers to be legitimate, like the Public
Library of Science (PLoS). But, he said, because the author-pays
system features an inherent conflict of interest—publishers make more
money if they accept more articles—it is ripe for abuse.
Such abuse is becoming more prevalent, Mr. Beall said. On his blog
Scholarly Open Access, he keeps a running list of what he calls
"predatory" open-access publishers. Mr. Beall said he uncovers one new
predatory journal or publishing company about every week, and his list
now totals more than 50 publishers and individual journals.
Mr. Beall defines a "predatory" publisher as one whose main goal is to
generate profits rather than promote academic scholarship. Such
publishers, he said, "add little value to scholarship, pay little
attention to digital preservation, and operate using fly-by-night,
unsustainable business models."
Jim O'Donnell
Georgetown U.
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